From the days of the Spanish galleons in the late 1700s to 1920 when Addison Mizner built the now-named Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton (the Winter Polo Capital of the World) can be found on Florida's Atlantic shores. It is located on the Gold Coast 48 miles north of Miami in Palm Beach County.

The City of Boca Raton, with 98,000 permanent residents, is synonymous with "The Good Life". National studies consistently rank it as a center of affluence and sophistication in a lush, tropical environment. Boca is renowned for its picture-postcard beauty, cosmopolitan shops, outstanding quality of life, miles of pristine beach, and its identity as an international vacation destination.

The Boca Raton Resort & Club, open to guests and Premier Club Members, is world renowned. Located in the heart of the city, the Resort comprises 356 acres. Extensive renovations and refurbishments have taken place recently at the world-class property. Highlights include a new $10 million tennis & fitness center, a $6.5 million renovation and reconstruction of the Resort's golf courses and a new $40 million meeting and conference facility — The Mizner Center. Visitors to the Resort have included heads of state and celebrities such as George Bush, Robert Redford, Bill Cosby, John Travolta, Opray Winfrey and Elton John.

A most recent addition to the cityscape has been the newly opened Muvico Palace-20 Theatres complex. With a total of 141,388 square feet, the Palace offers such amenities as childcare services, a 230-seat restaurant, a full service bistro and bar, and concessions offering everything from hot dogs to champagne. Six of the 20 theatres have balconies above them featuring two-person loveseats, wide aisles, reserved seating and include free valet parking, popcorn, and a separate entrance and box office. A concierge is also on hand to suggest dining options based on each guest's movie schedule.

Boca boasts of its annual Holiday Boat Parade on the Intracoastal waterways, its wonderful festivals such as Meet Me Downtown (in March), and the active year-round social calendar of society balls and charity functions. The city offers countless opportunities for recreation and arts. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, the International Museum of Cartoon Art, and highly visible Jewish and Hispanic communities have all contributed to the city's multicultural and cosmopolitan flavor.

The City of Boca Raton, quickly becoming known as the Silicon Beach area, is home to several large corporations and major employers. These include IBM, Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Database Technologies (DBT), Hiway Technologies, NCCI, Sensormatic, Sony Professional Products, W.R.Grace, NABI, Boca Raton Community Hospital, and Rexall Sundown Inc. Boca also boasts its share of Latin American headquarters for such companies as Quaker Oats, Motorola, and McDonalds; as well as technology based Venture Capital groups and dot.com companies.

Top-rated schools and universities abound, including Florida Atlantic University, Lynn University, Palm Beach Community College, Harid Conservatory and the Sylvan Learning Center. The student / teacher ratio in its public schools is 16 to 1. Boca's crime rate is amongst the lowest in the nation with a crime index — percent of the national average — of 44 and an unemployment rate of only 3.3%.

Boca Raton is a community of country clubs, marinas, public and private golf courses, tennis courts, public beaches, arts and culture.

Whether retired or still growing up, Boca residents benefit from a city that has managed to balance lifestyle with commerce, economic strength with extensive community services and amenities.